Thad Forester's official site

Hand-made Morale Patch Boards | Father/Son Business

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Our boys are always drawing gear, weapons, shoes, etc. and have wanted to start a business for a few years. We finally found something that we can do b/c we already make these patch boards for ourselves.

We thought Etsy would be the best and simplest place to sale our custom products. You can visit our store here:

https://jupiterpatchboards.etsy.com

This is a perfect gift for anyone in or retiring from the military, law enforcement, gov contractor, Boy Scouts, or a military family. We are a Gold Star Family and have collected many morale/tactical/unit/club patches over the years. Our boys and I use this board to display our patches and to easily swap them out on our caps, backpacks, vests, packing cubes, and kit bags.

We plan to offer different sizes, colors and patch board stands in the future, along with custom patches.

Below is a short video showing the boards being made by the boys and the finishing touches by me.


This .25″ x 12″ x 24″ wooden board is coated with clear shellac wood finish and is made to lean up on a shelf or be mounted to the wall (mounting hardware and patches not included).

Comes with black loop velcro tape applied on one side for easy attachment of patches of any size with a hook back side.

First Jupiter Patch Board Sale

By supporting our Etsy store, you are supporting very young entrepreneurs who are pumped to sell their product(s) online.

Here is our Etsy store link: https://jupiterpatchboards.etsy.com

We hope your enjoy your board because we not only make them, but use them in our home.


Another use for patches–and this one below is our custom patch, perfect for missionaries and/or church:


The patch in the video above is available in our Etsy store too: https://jupiterpatchboards.etsy.com

2 day Scoped Rifle Training | Defoor Proformance Shooting

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foresters gear

I recently attended Kyle Defoor’s Scoped Rifle Class in Eastaboga, AL.  His classes aren’t easy to get in as a civilian, so I was even more pumped to take part.  Kyle is a former SEAL and sniper and has a loyal following across the country.  One reason I say this is I was the only guy in the class from AL.  Everyone else came from UT, MO, GA, DC, PA and MA.

We covered several topics, but I’ll highlight a few that were particularly helpful to me.  As background, I consider myself a beginner when it comes to rifles.  I took as many notes as I could, but unfortunately didn’t get any pics of the action–I was too busy trying to soak up all the info.

Disclaimer:  these details are from memory so there’s a chance I’ve put something inaccurate, but hopefully that didn’t happen or is insignificant.

My general gun setup

 -Aero Precision upper and lower

–Giessele G25 trigger (2 stage)

–VTAC sling.  I’ve never felt comfortable in my sling and didn’t know how to use it effectively.  Kyle adjusted to my liking, showed me how to quickly tighten and loosen and shared a nugget to add some heat shrink tubing on the release pull.  This is also the brand Kyle uses, except his isn’t padded.

–Ballistic Advantage Hansen Series 5.56mm 14.5” barrel, mid-length gas

–Battle Arms Development Ambi Safety

–Aero Precision 13” keymod rail

–Magpul CTR stock

-Harris 9-13” bipod. First time using a bipod, but since we were shooting from prone up to 465 yards, it was necessary.

–Leupold 2-8x scope

My pack: 

–GR2 rucksack.  This is my go to pack for all traveling.

Topics (not all-inclusive but ones I want to talk about here):

 -Safety. Not going into detail, but goes without saying that it’s priority. Reviewed basic range and gun safety, clearing, communication, etc. Not sure about the other guys, but very helpful to me.

-Binocular use and observation. When observing, use naked eye first.  Look for shapes, colors, and movements that don’t belong.  Then use the binos.  Remember, there are no straight lines in nature.

-Blades.  Some options to look for when choosing blade for self-defense (not for opening boxes and envelopes):

      1. Spear point
      2. Distill taper
      3. Handle design.  Must prevent you from riding the blade and allow it to be capped.
      4. Sheath system.  No shelf, ambidextrous, quality clip and sweat guard
      5. Other notes:  when holding knife, pull sheath from blade, not blade from sheath. For fun, I checked out knives at a local outdoors store and although they had quality blades, they had zero that met Kyle’s preference for carrying on himself. Kyle uses a RAT as his daily carry blade, named after his friend Tom Ratzlaff who was KIA aboard Extortion 17.  It will be my next knife purchase.

Short video of Kyle discussing combatives:

-Combatives. Practiced shooting target in head from 7 yards. We worked on stance and gun position before seeing and shooting target. Then, Kyle pulled out the timer and we checked our speed, along with accuracy.

I had no problem hitting the target (of course it was only 7 yards…), however my speed was poor and my shots were all a little low. He reminded me to aim higher, since my scope was dialed in at much longer distance from day before.

I also have a long way to go on safety manipulation. Raising gun while releasing safety and shooting accurately was new to me. But, another tip was to only use my thumb for the safety – don’t use my index finger on the opposite side. He also pointed out that my finger kept entering the trigger area when my safety was on, just prior to raising gun and shooting. This is something I thought I was aware of, but took someone else looking for the little details to point out.

Kyle providing details on stance and bringing gun to head, not head to gun:

Summary

Since I don’t get to shoot often (especially rifles), I probably gained years of experience in these two days with Kyle Defoor. Some little things that stood out to me were my finger position on trigger (big help with accuracy), where to put buttstock on shoulder, to bring gun to my head instead of head to gun, extend my stock all the way out, how to determine where to mount bipod, problems sun can cause when using optics (and tips how to minimize its impact), and after using and seeing some of Kyle’s equipment, “You gotta pay to play.”

You’ll find Kyle all over the web as an expert in firearms and combatives.  His experience goes back to his childhood; growing up in a small town and spending his days outside–hunting, exercising and playing sports.  He and I grew up together, so I already knew what kind of athlete he was.  Once he joined the Navy, obviously his training went to a whole new level.

I interviewed Kyle on my podcast back in the spring where we not only talked about his military career, but also his upbringing and why he joined.  We also reminisced just a little about the good ‘ol days in Haleyville.

Listen to my interview with Kyle here:

Kyle Defoor on Patriot to the Core podcast

Another great video below:

 

Defoor-Forester
Kyle and Thad after the course.

Fuel from Silence

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Thad enjoying the silence
Turkey Creek Nature Preserve

“Never miss a good opportunity to shut up.”

You may have been given this advice from a wise person before.

However, this isn’t an article on how to listen. I want to take a little different slant.

We wear ourselves out in thoughtless pursuit of goals worth little. We run from one thing to another. Have you ever been in an airport, on a college campus (probably high school too), or any highly-populated area and noticed how many people aren’t paying attention to what’s around them b/c they are texting, wearing headphones, or just doing anything to keep them distracted? I can’t even fill up at the pump without a TV in my face.

As I was shaving recently, I noticed the silence around me. It was early in the morning, no one else was awake, and I actually took note of the serene feeling. This may seem like an obvious observation, but it wasn’t. I normally didn’t recognize the lack of noise and distractions while shaving previously.

“Silence is a resource… In the future, people will be prepared to pay for the experience of silence.”*

For those with families – especially little children – you know that finding quiet time takes great effort.  Even the bathroom isn’t a sure bet.  Many times, little fingers shoot underneath the door and I hear “Daddy, what are you doing?” (repeated several times).  It usually means getting up early or staying up late.  Or more drastically for me, taking a business trip.

I don’t want this to turn into a “How to hide from your kids” article b/c what I’m trying to get at is we are entitled to spend some time with ourselves in introspection, in solitude. You don’t need to have children to justify alone time. We deserve time to ourselves. How much? That’s up to you (and maybe your spouse).

Why should I worry about quiet time to myself?

This list could probably go on and on, but here are a few reasons:

  • Your brain needs time to rest and replenish. Having no distractions gives you the time to clear your mind and focus. It’s a reboot for your brain.  There is something soothing about silence.  It calms our bodies and turns up the volume on our inner thoughts.  Some people can’t stand silence, but give it a try. I’m not saying for even an hour, but try it a few mins and I think you’ll feel more at ease. Take some deep breaths (or box-breathing). You will feel a difference.
  • Allows time for self-reflection and assessment. How am I doing? Am I the person I envisioned myself being when I was a child? What areas do I need to improve to better take care of my family? Etc. This may coincide with writing in your journal and setting goals.
  • As someone who prays, it creates an environment where I can recognize promptings from the Almighty.

How can you do this?

  • The obvious is get up early. Most productivity experts will tell you earlier in the day is the best time to get things done.  For me, it’s also the best time to be in silence—reading, journaling, writing and enjoying the few minutes of hearing the birds as the sun begins to rise. Plus, I like knowing that while most people are sleeping, I’m doing something—which in this case is sometimes nothing.
  • Next time you’re driving alone, don’t turn on the radio. Enjoy some quiet time. Yes, you must focus on the road, but it’s still a nice change to have that silence.
  • While waiting at the doctor’s office or to get a haircut, try reading one of the magazines in the waiting room. Or just sit there (but you may have to make a concerted effort to not look like a weirdo). You’ll be one of the very few without your phone scrolling thru other people’s best moments.
  • When you work out today (train, run, etc), don’t put in your ear buds. Just work out in silence. If you’re running or biking, it’s a little safer too. If you’re in a busy gym, you’ll still have noise, so this may not apply as well. For me, my gym is quiet and I regularly don’t listen to a podcast or music, but rather enjoy the quiet while training. Yes, I know… you need that guy yelling in your ear to give you an extra boost. I’m not saying stop doing that, just try the silence occasionally.

“Freedom from noise and goal-directed tasks… unites the quiet without and within, allowing our conscious workspace to do its thing, to weave ourselves into the world, to discover where we fit in.  That’s the power of silence.”*

silence please

Give it a try

An advocate for silence is Mark Divine. To quote him, “We are pretty good at doing things, but we are shitty at the non-doing part. We need to spend time cultivating the non-doing things, which include self-awareness, journaling, and contemplating. And this has a profound effect over time.” I’m a believer in what he teaches about breathing, meditation and getting out in nature.

Focusing on disconnecting and enjoying more quiet time this year has been valuable for me. I’ve written more in my journal, set more short-term goals, and self-reflected. Give it a try. It will be worth it.

And one more thing; no I don’t claim to be all-knowing on this topic.  It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for several months and have made conscious efforts to incorporate into my life.  And I like what it’s done for me.

Below are a few resources on the topic.  Let me know how you break from the noise and make use of the power of silence, thad@patriottothecore.com

http://unbeatablemind.com/

* http://nautil.us/issue/16/nothingness/this-is-your-brain-on-silence

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201201/6-reasons-you-should-spend-more-time-alone